Duffy always had a camera in his hands and although he claimed that he only took photographs for money, the Archive tells another story. His reportage work was very personal to him and shows the quirkier side of his nature and his love for the split second that makes the shot.

Duffy loved the Canon Dial Camera which, like him, was unconventional and temperamental but always delivered fascinating results. It allowed 72 exposures on a standard 36 exposure film by splitting each frame in half. The film ran vertically, from the cassette at the top to the take-up spool at the bottom, giving a landscape-format 24×18mm frame when the camera is upright.

The Archive is home to thousands of Duffy’s Snaps that were usually shot from the hip in passing to get genuinely candid and obscure results. The contacts are a constant source of discovery and have revealed a wonderful insight into Duffy’s personal views of the world, celebrity friends and intimate family life.